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BRENDA CORRIGAN CARMODY

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Friends and family have mourned the loss of Brenda Carmody since her death on July 27, 2021, at age 79.
Born to Ted and Eleanor Corrigan on June 8, 1942, Brenda had the distinction of being a lifelong resident of New Hope. At the time of her death, she resided at 58 Old York Road, a home that was in the family for approximately seven decades, and where she had cared for her mother for many years before Eleanor’s death in 2017.
Brenda was a 1960 graduate of New Hope-Solebury High School, and over the years worked in a variety of positions that ranged from modeling to retail sales to business management for a local construction firm. Her time working in New Hope’s former “Craft Shop” reflected her lifelong interest in arts, crafts, antiques and collectibles.
She was not known for political activism, but after high school took a strong interest in local efforts to preserve the Delaware Canal and its adjacent towpath. At that time the canal was a primary driver of tourism in New Hope and adjacent communities along the Delaware River. New Hope’s mule-driven canal barges were iconic attractions.
During her 30 years of marriage to Bradford S. (Bud) Jones III, Brenda was well known for the size and diversity of the collections they gathered up as a couple. These collections included glass bottles of all sizes, shapes and colors, as well as telephone pole insulators, which also came in an endless variety of configurations. All were collected methodically at abandoned homesteads and areas that were commonly referred to as “dumps,” but which for Brenda and Bud were treasure troves.
She routinely scoured these same sites with a metal detector, uncovering a huge assortment of coins, tools, household implements and other rare objects of great curiosity and value to fellow hobbyists. She was a regular at flea markets throughout Bucks County and for many years sold antiques and collectibles at Jones Antiques on Route 202 outside New Hope.
Growing up in a household of avid gardeners, she often pedaled her bike to New Hope’s many restaurants as a child, peddling fresh daffodils for 25 cents a bunch. Later in life she turned this love of flowers into a related hobby, making dried flower arrangements noted for their extraordinary colors and textures. She also was skilled at rescuing old, weathered boards and crafting them into faux-antique frames for mirrors and paintings.
Brenda is remembered for her fun-loving nature and willingness to approach new experiences with an adventurous spirit. In the fall of 2017, she received tickets for a hot air balloon ride as a birthday gift. In a case of beginner’s lack-of-luck, the balloon got caught up in wind currents and crashed on the shore of Merrill Creek Reservoir in New Jersey. The balloon struck trees, brush and a fence on the way down, but left Brenda and her fellow occupants uninjured.
Brenda always related the details of this close call in her customary easy-going manner, frequently during matches of her favorite board game: rummikub. Although suffering from the effects of multiple cancer diagnoses and treatments in the months preceding her death, she retained a positive outlook and developed a close relationship with her two favorite caregivers, Irena and Margie. Another prime source of solace was her beloved feline pet, “Mr. Kitty.”
Brenda is survived by husband James L. Carmody, 84, of Montrose, Colo.
She is also survived by her sister Patty Corrigan Vancil (Denver) of Morrisville and her sister Bernadette Corrigan Myers (Bud) of Lambertville N.J. Surviving nieces and nephews include Robyn, Brian and Kimberly Vancil and Amy Myers.
Survivors from her marriage to Bradford Jones include her daughter Bonnie Jones Gray (Trent) of Brewster, Mass., and her daughter Jennifer Jones Hollenbaugh (David) of Boston. Surviving grandchildren include Connor, Erin, Andrew and Anna Hollenbaugh.
The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Bucks County SPCA, 1665 Street Road, New Hope 18938, 215-794-7425 (buckscountyspca.org).
Since the time of Brenda’s death, arrangements have been handled by the Garefino Funeral Home, 12 N. Franklin St., Lambertville, N.J. 08530, 609-397-2763 (garefino.com).
A private family memorial is planned for Sept. 25.


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